Power of 9
by WysteriaWolf
Summary: Two sisters and their best friend visit Ravenswood and find out it's secrets, yada yada. In Aldenmor the Dark Sorceress is rising again and all that good stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**The Power of 9**

**Chapter 1**

"What do we have on the tour schedule?" Kara Davies asked coming in late, as Emily sat, checking their website. Adriane was talking to Storm who was out checking the animals.

"You're late," she said from the chair she was sitting on.

"You sound surprised," Was Kara's response. All she got was a death glare from Adriane.

"Come on, you guys!" Emily said, calling for order. The other girls looked her way. "Kara, in answer to your previous question…" She paused, looking at a list on the computer desk. "Wow…"

"Are we overbooked again?" Adriane moaned from right behind them, startling Kara.

"You need to walk louder!" Kara said.

"Yes, your majesty," Adriane mocked. Emily sighed.

"Cut it out guys!" she said. "We only have one tour today, and they should be here any minute."

Kara and Adriane exchanged puzzled glances. For the whole week they had nearly too many tours to keep track of, and now, on this Friday, they only had one?

"I dunno about you, but I feel kind of weird about this," Adriane said.

"Me too," Emily agreed. Before Kara had time to share what she thought, the doorbell rang.

"They're here!" The girls said at the same time. Emily got to the door first, and the other two were right behind her.

"Hello!" the redhead greeted three girls who were at the door.

"Hi," one said. She had light brown hair and dark brown eyes, and looked very excited to be there. The tour guides stepped out of the manor. "How about some introductions," Emily suggested. "I'm Emily, this is Kara, and that's Adriane." She pointed to each girl as she said there names.

"Nice to meet you!" the brown haired girl said. "I'm Rosalina. This is really cool, I just love animals!"

"Who are your friends?" Adriane asked, looking at the girl with black hair, like her own, and green eyes.

"I'm Carter," the girl said catching Adriane's eye. "And this is Ashton, Rosalina's sister."

"Well, now that everyone knows each other, let's get this tour started!" Kara said, clapping her hands together. The visitors followed the three guides along a path. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes.

"Oh! Did you hear that?" Kara announced, with a very real-sounding afraid voice. Emily was back behind the visitors. Her rainbow jewel flashed as she contacted Ozzie, to make sure it was him. The same bush that had rustled before did it again, this time louder. Rosalina watched the spot intently. Ashton was looking a little frightened, and Carter was pretending she was uninterested.

But then, Ozzie hopped onto the path and she let out an "Oh!" not caring what the others thought anymore.

"Stay quiet, I might be able to pick him up," Kara said. A hint of a smile played across Adriane's lips. Her blond friend was really putting on a convincing act. But when it came time for her and Storm, she knew she'd do just as well.

Kara bent down to scratch her ferret friend behind the ears. "Do I have to do this?" he mumbled.

"Yes," Kara whispered back directly. "Now act cute!" She picked him up and showed him to the girls.

"He's so cute!" Rosalina exclaimed, looking like she was going to die from excitement. "Can I pet him?"

"Uh-huh," Kara answered, "just don't scare him off." Rosalina stroked his back. Then Ashton and Carter stepped up to pet the little ferret. When they had each had a turn, Kara put Ozzie back on the ground.

"Good show," she whispered.

"I need a bath," Ozzie responded. Kara only rolled her eyes as he scampered off.

"Don't worry, you'll probably see him later," Emily said, seeing the sad looks on the girls' faces. She had stepped up because it was time for her to do a demonstration with Lyra. Kara had contacted the big cat while the girls were fascinated with Ozzie.

"I think you're going to like what we've got next," Emily said, taking over the tour.

"Ooh, what is it?" Ashton asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," Emily smiled. Because Lyra's show was definitely something special.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Power of 9**

**Chapter 2**

The group came into a clearing where a rock sat, soaking up the sun. There were flowers scattered around. Emily and Kara had made them with magic to remind them of Phel. Ashton bent down, holding her hair out of her face so she could smell the flowers.

"What's that rock for?" Carter asked skeptically. All of a sudden, a roar split the air. Everyone screamed, except for the tour guides, who grinned, exchanging glances. Lyra leapt through the air, spreading her wings to make it seem like a long jump. Their guests were awestruck. They were talking in excited whispers.

"Let's see if I pet her, without getting eaten," Emily said.

"Ooh, be careful!" Rosalina warned.

"Don't worry, I work with animals all the time," Emily assured. She crept up to Lyra.

"Don't worry, it won't actually eat her," Carter said. The she turned to Adriane. "Will it?" The black-haired guide shrugged. She smiled seeing how nervous the sisters and their friend were getting.

Adriane liked the performances they did. First they got everyone nervous, then when they saw how harmless the animals can be, they developed a better understanding of wildlife. That was their goal after all, wasn't it?

Suddenly the girls were clapping. Adriane realized that, while she'd been spacing off, Emily had gotten up to pet Lyra. Adriane added in her small claps, all the while focusing on Storm. She quickly made contact with the mistwolf.

_Are you ready? _She asked with her mind. _We're coming your way._ The answer from Adriane's friend was clear in her mind.

_I'm ready._ Emily stepped back to let Adriane take charge as Lyra padded gracefully back into the trees.

"Ok, so you've seen some pretty cool animals, right? And I'd love to tell you what's up next, but, sadly, I can't," Adriane said. "So, coming up this way, look around for some animals you'd see normally in a forest."

The visitors looked on, fascinated by the sudden burst in wildlife, compared to the quiet forest that had been just before Adriane had said that. It was like magic.

Then again…. maybe it was.

"Ravenswood isn't only about exotic animals," Adriane started.

"We want to teach our visitors about all _sorts _of animals!" Emily continued.

As the three guides explained Ravenswood's goal to their guests, their feet took them, almost automatically, along the path they needed.

Soon the forest had grown quiet again. They were entering Wolf's Run Pass. Suddenly Adriane stopped, putting her arm out.

"Wait," she ordered. The others stopped. "Can you feel that?"

"F-feel what?" Ashton asked.

Emily shivered. "It's like something's watching you," she answered eerily.

"What is it?" Rosalina asked.

"Maybe it's a-" Before Carter could finish, a white shape leapt out of the trees growling.

"Wolf!" The sisters and their best friend screamed at the same time.

"Stay calm," Adriane answered.

Behind her, Emily whispered to Kara, "Wow, she's good!" Kara stuck out her tongue.

"Show off," she muttered good-naturedly.

Storm disappeared again, through the trees on the other side of the path. A light purplish mist rose up around the girls.

"Where did it go?!" Someone shouted. It was hard to tell which of the girls it was. Then a growl came from behind them. The group swiveled around.

"Now what?" Carter shouted.

Just then, an owl swooped out of the trees emitting a fierce call. The magnificent bird swooped down on the wolf. As feathers flew the wolf disappeared into the trees once again.

"Will it come back?" Rosalina asked hopefully. The mist had faded away, and now a much smaller pup came from the opposite side of the path from where Storm had disappeared.

There was a whimpering noise and Storm came back out. She licked Dream's ear and the three visitors awed. Adriane turned to Kara and Emily to see what they thought. To her surprise, Emily wasn't there.

"_Where's Emily?" _Adriane mouthed. Kara shrugged. Then the blonde pushed her friend forward to take her moment in the spotlight.

Adriane stumbled forward, and walked up to hug Storm. "Great job," she whispered.

"_You didn't do so bad yourself,_" the mistwolf said, with a noise the girl recognized as wolf laughter.

Adriane picked Dream up and stood by Storm's side, taking a bow. The much-relieved visitors clapped.

"Woo!" Ashton cheered. "Great show guys!"

Kara stepped up and bowed dramatically while Adriane rolled her eyes. Ariel the owl had flown back out and was sitting on Storm's back, acting cool although she was really loving it.

"Well, that just about wraps up-"

"Um, guys…?" Emily called.

"Where'd you get to, Emmy?" Kara asked.

"There's a slight problem," Emily said, ignoring her friend's question. All the girls were instantly alert.

"A _duck_…" the girl paused.

Storm sent a quick thought to Adriane and Kara: "_Quiffle._"

"… has gone missing!"


	3. ch 3 Searches and an Accusation

**Chapter 3**

**Searches and an Accusation**

**Disclaimer: Ok, I mentioned in the beginning that the characters didn't belong to me, but I feel I should say it again!**

**As for the first two chapters, nothing much has happened yet, but I promise this chapter will bring more. Plus, I decided to try chapter names. If I can come up with fairly good ones, this probably will continue. **

"Ok, let's split up into groups!" Emily shouted. Kara rolled her eyes as the red-head took charge again. Emily was explaining the plan of action, but Kara wasn't paying attention. Something had caught her eye. Carter had lifted her arm to brush hair out of her eyes, making her sleeve fall to reveal a golden bracelet. As Kara saw the charm, a beautiful shining tiger's eye feather, something clicked in her mind.

The charm reminded her of Adriane's wolf stone.

"Hey!" Kara whispered.

"What?" Carter asked, sounding annoyed as she looked in the blonde's direction.

"Where'd you get your bracelet?"

There was a hint of fear in the girl's eyes and she covered it up… almost too quickly.

"It's a family heirloom." Kara nodded, in truth not believing her.

"Okay, Kara and Ashton, you're the first group. Then Carter and Adriane, and Rosalina and I are the last pair," Emily said.

"Um, hey, where are we supposed to go?" Kara asked Ashton as the other girl came up to her.

"Back along the pass," Ashton answered, "then around that area and back down the path to the manor."

_What is Emily thinking? _Kara thought. _A Quiffle would never go down that way. Unless she's trying to get one more person out of the way to make it easier._ "'K, let's head!"

"Careful not to slip," Adriane warned as her and Carter made their way across the rocks on the shore of the small stream. She herself had done the same many times with Storm and knew her way around. But, still, the rocks could be slippery.

"Don't worry, there's a creek by my house and I go down there all the time," Carter replied, extremely calm. Adriane had to admit, the other girl's excellent balance was probably unmatched only by her own. They'd both obviously seen their fair share of rocky shores.

"Right, keep your eyes open for anything not blue or gray," Adriane said, trying to make conversation. Carter laughed. And then, she slipped.

(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)

"_So, you and Ashton_ are sisters right?" Emily asked. Rose nodded.

"Yeah, that's it. I'm older, by the way, just by a little since we're twins. And we've both known Carter since we were six. She went to our school, and our moms happened to know each other. So, we got to hang out a lot when we were little, and stayed best friends as we grew up."

"Wow, that's neat!" Emily commented. She wished she had a friend that she'd known since she was little. But, in a way, she did. Adriane and Kara and her were nearly inseparable now. They were _mages, _they were _intertwined._

"So, how long have you known Kara and Adriane?" Rose asked. "You guys seem like best friends."

"Well, we are," Emily said. She like talking to Rose. It was like the other girl really understood her. It was nice. "But, compared to how long you and Ashton have known Carter, it really hasn't been that long." Rose laughed.

"It's true," she said. "But, it's nice having a friend like that, y'know?"

"Yeah," Emily agreed, "it is."

(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)_(_)

"Carter!" Adriane cried. She made her way more carefully along the rocks than before, trying to avoid the place where the other girl had fallen.

"I'm alright!" Carter called. "Don't worry! But, hey! Come look at this, Adriane!"

Adriane rushed over and slid down to where Carter was. It was like a little indent in the shore. There was solid ground below her, and enough room to the right to stretch out her arm, and finding she just touched the rock that was there. Above her there was an overhang. It was a little creepy, and Adriane kept thinking it might fall. But, a closer examination revealed that the rock was tightly packed, and it would take a powerful drill, or, from her point of view, a pretty strong magic blast to make it break. She had to lean down a little, but mostly just her head, and it wasn't an uncomfortable amount.

Carter was sitting a little ways off, where the rock ceiling didn't go as far out as it did where Adriane was. She was holding a fuzzy yellow Quiffle in her arms and running her hand over its fur.

"Is this what we were supposed to be looking for?" Carter asked.

"Yes!" Adriane exclaimed. "That's it! You found it!" she reached down to hug the slightly younger girl. Then she pulled away, looking for a way back up. There was a break in the rock overhang and a smaller rock right under it Adriane knew it would be simple to climb up and haul herself back to higher ground.

"Ok, we can climb out this way, so I'll go first and once I'm up, hand me the Q- Duck. Then I can help you." Carter nodded. Adriane stepped on the rock that was on the ground and grabbed the ledge above. She made sure the ground was secure and put one foot up on the rock wall. With a soft grunt she hauled herself up.

"'K, hand up the duck, Carter," Adriane said. The other girl stepped on the rock and silently handed the Quiffle to her. One the magical creature was quickly in her lap, she put her dirt-covered hand out to Carter.

"Take my hand," she ordered. "I'll help you up."

"No need," Carter assured. With ease she hauled herself up to Adriane's level. To say the least, the warrior mage was impressed.

"Wow, seems to me like you've done that a lot!" Adriane commented, smiling.

"Er… you could say that I practice." Carter said modestly.

"Well," Adriane sighed, "all that's left to do is wait here. I think Emily and Kara will be here soon." _If I have anything to do with it. _But, Adriane didn't dare say that last part aloud.

"I'm going to just sit over there, you watch the _duck_."

**Carter** watched as Adriane sat down next to a tree, her back to her. Carter decided to sit also. The trek had been fairly lengthy, but still she was as energetic as usual. Due to her training she wasn't easily tired. Then she thought sadly of Monaca. Suddenly, Carter saw a bright light at her wrist and her bracelet grew warm. The girl gasped with amazement. _No, it couldn't be!_ That's what her thoughts screamed at her at that instant.

She leaped to her feet, accusing, "You're using magic!"

**WooHoo! 2 chapters in one day! (one for this and one for Destinies, as those reading both should know) **

**Yay, they found the Quiffle! But this is just the beginning! How does Carter know about this? Come on! I want guesses! No new chapters till I get a guess! **

**As always, R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4 Teaching the New Girls

**A/N Here's the new chapter for the book like I promised in my recent addition to Destinies! Sorry I've been gone so long guys, homework has kept me away! But I'm back now and working hard (trying). Congratulations to the one person who guessed! I tried to make it obvious, there was a hint back in the text when it was Kara's POV if you noticed. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly own no part of Avalon!**

**Chapter 4**

**Teaching the New Girls**

"What?!" Adriane exclaimed, shocked. She stood there for a second with her mouth open. "Why do you think that? What the-?"

"Wait! Look at this!" Carter said, pulling up her right sleeve. She was wearing a gold loop bracelet with a tiger's eye feather charm that looked just like Adriane's wolf stone. It was pulsing with amber light.

"When you contacted your friends with magic, my bracelet reacted to it! Hey, does that mean you can use magic fire too?" This girl seemed overly excited about the whole ordeal.

"I can," Adriane replied simply. Just then, Emily and Rose appeared.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rose asked, casting a glance at Carter.

"Adriane can use magic!" Carter announced. Rose's jaw dropped. Emily gasped.

"You told them?" she squeaked.

"No!" Adriane objected.

"Wait, we can use magic too," Rose assured. "When did you guys learn about it?"

"Actually a few months now," Emily answered.

"Aww, lucky!" Rose cried. "The three of us have only known for a couple weeks!"

"Really?" Adriane asked.

"Known what?" Kara asked, coming up with Ashton.

"Ashton, they can use magic too!" Rose shouted to her sister. Kara looked horrified. Of course, because she didn't know the whole story yet.

"Really?!" Ashton cried happily. "That's so positively amazingly awesome!" Kara looked at Carter and Emily, who laughed at her confused expression.

"What's going on?" She demanded. "Adriane, why do they know were mages?!"

"Because we're mages too!" Ashton exclaimed.

"Really? That's awesome!" Kara cried. And the two blondes both squealed in high-pitched tones. Adriane covered her ears.

"Guys, I think we'll have to save the celebrating for a little later," Carter called, "this duck's hurt!"

"Actually it's a Quiffle," Adriane corrected. "A magical animal. And, don't worry, Em will heal him right up!" Emily nodded, revealing her rainbow gem.

There was a long scratch across the Quiffle's side, that Adriane was surprised they hadn't noticed it earlier. It wasn't looking very good, and was bleeding. It wasn't too bad, but still needed to be tended to, preferably sooner than later.

Emily put her hand over the Quiffle, and her gem glowed with cool blue light. Instantly, the same color glow emanated from Rose's wrist. Emily looked up. Rose came over, revealing a teardrop-shaped gem on a simple braided string bracelet. It was light blue, but darker than the color it was glowing, with a pink hue at the bottom, blending in with the blue farther up. Rose came over and kneeled beside Emily. She put her hand besides Emily's, floating just above the Quiffle. The cool blue light exploded, flowing in ribbons around the Quiffle. The two girls had it perfectly under control, twisting in and out, focusing mainly on the wound.

When the light subdued, the wound was gone.

"I did it!" Rose cried. "I really did it!" She rushed over to her sister, and threw her arms around her. They were jumping up and down.

"That was awesome!" Ashton complimented. The girls high-fived.

"I'm guessing you guys haven't had much practice?" Kara guessed.

"We've only had the magic for a couple weeks now," Rose admitted. "We haven't had much time to practice. Except for Carter, of course. Her parents are always out of the house, and there's a forest right behind her house that she can go in whenever!"

"There hasn't been much for Rose to heal either," Ashton added.

"We could help you practice!" Emily blurted. All eyes turned to her. Kara and Adriane didn't quite know what to think of the ordeal, and the younger mages were extremely excited. "I mean, why not?"

"Alright, that could work!" Kara grinned. They turned to Adriane, making puppy-dog-like faces.

"Ok, ok, geez! I can't really compete with _everyone, _can I?"

The younger mages cheered. "Can we come over tomorrow?" Rose asked.

"My parent's won't mind," Carter agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Kara exclaimed.

"Well, your tour is supposed to go on for a little while now, still," Emily said. "I say we show them the Magic Glade."

"It won't hurt them to learn about the _magical _animals here at Ravenswood for today!" Kara agreed. "Come on, let's go!"

_~At the Rocking Stone~_

"Wow, that's a big rock," Ashton commented.

"So we've heard," Emily laughed. The younger mages were looking up in awe.

"But why are we here?" Rose asked. Emily, Kara and Adriane looked at each other, grinning.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until we say!" Kara said. The new mages did as instructed and the older ones led them behind the rock, into the Magic Glade.

"Come on out, guys, it's ok! They're mages too!" Kara called.

"Ok, open your eyes," Emily instructed.

In front of the girls were about a hundred magical animals of different kinds. They recognized Quiffles, and Pegasi because Emily had told them about Quiffles, and a Pegasus was unmistakable.

"Let us introduce you to the _magical _part of Ravenswood!" Kara announced. "The deer-like creatures over there are Jeeran, and the blue rabbits are Brimbees!"

"This is all so awesome!" Ashton cried.

"What about the cat and the wolf and ferret?" Rose asked. "I'm guessing they were magical too!"

Emily nodded. "Those were Lyra, Stormbringer, and Ozzie, who is actually an elf. Adriane, Kara, can you get them here?"

"I've already called Storm, who's with Dreamer, and she'll get Lyra, who will bring Ozzie," Adriane answered.

"I also think you'll want to meet Ariel," said Emily. "I'll call her. Ariel!" She looked into the trees. The magnificent owl, with her brightly colored wings flew overhead. She landed on Emily's outstretched arm.

"She's the owl that was with Storm in her demonstration!" Rose cried.

"Hoo doo yoo doo?" Ariel hooted. Rose smiled.

"Good what about you?" she answered.

"Goood!" Ariel replied. They all laughed. Then Storm, Dreamer, and Lyra appeared.

"Where's Ozzie?" Adriane asked.

"Here!" the ferret squeaked. He scrambled up onto Storm's back from her tail.

"These guys move too fast!" he moaned.

"Sorry, next time I'll go as slow as possible when they ask us to be her right away!" Storm growled. Dreamer barked with amusement. He was still just beginning to speak and preferred traditional mistwolf talk for now. Adriane picked up the little wolf and cradled him in her arms.

"Let's show them the portal field now," she suggested.

"Alright," Emily said. "Come on, guys!" They headed off, mages, mistwolves, flying cat, magical owl, and elf-ferret, talking as they went.

When they reached the field it took them all a minute to figure out what was going on. They all heard the dragonflies buzzing around in a panic.

"Kaaraaaa!" Fiona cried.

And right smack in the middle of that field a glimmering portal was waiting.

And that's where the disaster began.

**A/N That's all for now! As always, R&R!**

**Plus, I've been thinking that there might be some confusion as to when this story takes place. It's supposed to be after the 6th book, which is as far as I've read in the series. *SPOILER ALERT!!!!* (For those who havent read that far!)**

**I know Storm dies, and her and Dreamer (I had it wrong as 'Dream' in previous chapters, if anyone caught that) wouldn't be in the same place, but I just couldn't bear to leave her out!**


	5. Chapter 5 The Other Side of the Portal

**A/N W00T! Finished a new chappie for this story, finally! I don't know if any of you guys read my other stories, but they've been falling behind, too, so you're not the only one who hasn't gotten anything from me in awhile. But I'm still here and still goin. As always R&R please!**

**Chapter 5**

**The Other Side of the Portal**

"What is that?!" Rose cried, alarmed, at the same time that Kara said,

"Why is there a portal open?!" The dragonflies flew around her.

"Kaaarraaaa!" Fred cried.

"Daaaaangerrrr!" Goldie added.

"Danger, what kind of danger?" Kara questioned. "Come on, guys, give me something to work with here!"

Just as she finished the last sentence, the wind picked up. It took them all a moment to realize that the portal was acting like a giant vacuum and sucking them in.

Adriane grabbed onto a tree with one hand, and Storm with the other. Dreamer was in the white wolf's mouth, and Lyra had her tail in her mouth, with Ozzie on her back.

"Hold on to me!" Adriane ordered. The sisters were holding each other's hands, and came up to grab Adriane's. Then, Emily and Kara, who broke fee of the dragonflies long enough to join the chain. But, Carter was less fortunate. She was closest to the portal, and couldn't grab Kara's hand in time. With a scream, she flew into the portal.

"Carter!" Adriane cried. Without realizing it, she loosened her grip on the tree. And that was just enough for the portal's grip to pull her off, the others going with her, right towards the portal.

* * *

"They're here!" a shape reported. "The portal worked!"

"But they are not alone?" Another voice said. This one more evil, and more commanding.

"Er, yes… the animals are with them. And three other girls," the smaller creature answered.

The commanding figure slunk slowly out of the shadows. Her eyebrows were raised in a look of great surprise.

"_Humans?"_

"No, their feel is different. They are also mages."

"_Six_ of them!?" The girl, if you could call her that, asked in alarm.

"Yes, but the new ones' powers were recently discovered," the small creature assured. "They pose little threat. Their power is only a fraction of the originals'."

A smile played across the commanding figure's face. Her icy eyes glinted evily, making the creature shudder slightly.

"Destroy them."

* * *

"Owww," Adriane groaned. The first thing she realized was that she hurt like crap all over. The second was that she was freezing.

She looked around, trying to recall what happened. She didn't remember it magically turning into winter. A blanket of snow covered the ground in every direction. There were no landmarks that could tell them where they were.

Then she spotted Storm to her left. The white mistwolf was lying in the snow, a frightened Dreamer curled up by her front paws. Adriane put a hand on her friend.

"Storm?" she muttered, body now shaking uncontrollably. She picked up Dreamer, his warmth flowing into her, ebbing the cold a little.

"I am here, warrior," Stormbringer answered.

"W-Where are we?" Adriane asked, glancing around.

"I believe we are in the Frozen Tundra-"

"Where's that?"

"- on Aldenmor.

Adriane looked around for her friends. If they were on Aldenmor, they were there for a reason. And it probably wasn't good.

But, they were no where in sight.

"Guys?!" Adriane called. Her voice echoed in the desolate area.

She spotted a dark shape not far off.

"Storm, w-what is that?" she asked, pointing. With one glance at her bonded, the mistwolf hurried over to check it out. She rushed right back again.

"It's Carter," she reported. Adriane struggled to her feet.

"Come on, we need to get her up." Adriane knew very well how dangerous the cold could be if you fell asleep.

She trudged through the snow as quickly as she could muster. It was probably at least two feet deep.

Adriane leaned over Carter, lying on the white ground.

"Carter!" she cried, shaking her a little. The girl sat up slowly, opening her eyes.

"Adriane, where are we? Where are the others?" Carter asked.

"I'm not sure where everyone else went," Adriane replied. "But Storm thinks we're in the Frozen Tundra… on Aldenmor."

"Where?" Carter asked confused. Adriane remembered that she probably hadn't heard about Aldenmor yet. After all, a magical talking ferret who was actually an elf didn't come to _them. _

"Aldenmor is the magic realm," Adriane explained. "It's where all the animals from Ravenswood came from. Ariel, Lyra, Storm, even Ozzie, who is actually an elf."

"Look!" Storm cried, her muzzle pointed to the sky. As a dark shadow surrounded them, Adriane leaped to her feet. She let Dreamer wiggle out of her arms in case she needed to fight.

Carter followed her, standing up a bit more slowly. Their limbs were starting to feel stiff. Even Storm's movements were beginning to become slower.

They followed the dark shape across the sky, until it began its descent. It went slowly, careful not to get too close to them. As soon as Adriane realized what it was, Carter struck.

Her gem glowed and she sent a string of yellow magic fire at Drake. Zach ducked on the dragon's back just in time. They landed on the ground a foot or two away.

"Adriane! I wasn't expecting to be welcomed like that!"

"Zach!"

"Momma!"

"Who are they?" Carter asked.

For the first time, the red dragon and his rider looked past Adriane to the younger mage.

"Who's she?" Zach asked.

"The one who attacked you," Adriane responded.

"Hey!" Carter cried. "Don't throw this on _me_ now!"

"Zach, this is Carter," Adriane introduced. "She's a mage too, but a less experienced one. We met two others, they're sisters, but they seem to have disappeared along with Emily and Kara. Carter, Zach's a good friend of mine. He helped me find the mistwolves when I needed them."

"That's what Storm and Dreamer are, right?" Carter checked.

"Yup," Adriane confirmed.

"So how'd you get here?" Zach asked. "I wasn't expecting to find you in the Cimarron Plains."

"The Cimarron Plains?!" Adriane cried. "I thought we were in the Frozen Tundra!" Zach frowned.

"So you haven't heard," he said.

"What?" Adriane demanded.

"I'll tell you if you tell me how you got here," Zach bargained, smiling.

"I'll tell you if you take us somewhere not so cold," Adriane countered.

"Hop on."

Kara clung to Lyra in the mysterious forest. The trees were frozen solid, but still green. The ground was covered with snow, and everything sparkled.

"Whoa, this place is awesome! It's like living in a crystal!" Kara cried.

"Or a freezer," Ashton said, shivering. Kara shrugged.

"Still."

"We're on Aldenmor," Lyra growled.

"What?!" Kara shouted, shocked.

"This is the Silver Forest," Lyra explained. "I've been here before. But I don't remember it looking like this. There's something wrong."

"Would some one like to tell me what Aldenmor is?!" Ashton demanded. Kara and Lyra turned to look at her.

"Sorry," Kara apologized. "Aldenmor is the magic world, to put it simply."

"It is my home," Lyra added. "And home to the other magical animals at Ravenswood."

"It was," Kara corrected. She didn't like to think of the forest without the animals she'd come to love.

"Is that good?" Ashton asked, somewhat afraid.

"I'm not sure yet," Kara replied. They'd obviously been taken there for a reason. She looked around her, at the layer of snow covering her new jeans almost up to the knees, and at the trees, giant green popsicles, reflecting the light. Lyra was growling slightly at her side.

"But, probably not good," Kara added. "If this forest isn't supposed to be frozen…"

The frosted bushes around them rustled menacingly. The mages looked around them. A tense, slow minute passed and everything went silent again.

"Probably just the wind," Ashton decided nervously.

"Yeah," Kara agreed. "Hey, has anyone seen the D-Flies?"

"Who?" Ashton asked.

"The dragonflies," Kara explained. "They're the little dragons that were with us in the portal field back at Ravenswood. Yellow Goldie, red Fiona, orange Blaze, purple Barney, and blue Fred… they're all missing!"

"Well, they went through the portal, too, right?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah," Kara replied. "I'm positive they did."

"They could be anywhere, judging by how we got separated from the others."

"Yeah… Hey! How do I know _you _didn't kidnap them?!" Kara accused.

"What?!" Ashton cried, alarmed.

"Yeah," Kara continued, "how do I know you're not really an evil mage?! We haven't know you for very long, anything's possible!"

"No!" Ashton tried desperately to convince Kara. "I'm not!"

"Guys!" Lyra growled. The blazing stars were too busy fighting to hear her.

"Yes you are!" Kara kept the accusations going.

"Kara, you've _got_ to trust me!" Ashton said more softly, tears now streaming down her cheeks, making them sting with cold.

"I think you are!" Kara went on, getting louder. "I bet you were just lying about only having your powers for a couple weeks! I bet you've known for years! And, as soon as I turn my back-!"

"GUYS!" Lyra shouted. They looked over at her, only just realizing the bushes were rustling like crazy.

Something was circling them. Something big. A wave of dark magic hit them like a hammer.

"Alright, Ashton, you look east," Kara directed quietly, their fight long forgotten now. Ashton nodded. "I'll keep watch west, Lyra, south. We won't let anything sneak up on us!"

Lyra took her position, her muscles tensed, ready to pounce. There were a long couple minutes, where the mages hard breathing was eerie in the otherwise-silent forest. Kara finally sighed with relief.

"I think it's gone-" There was a loud rustling from Kara's direction.

Lyra and Ashton whirled around to face the first blazing star. A moment later, they screamed, the creature flying right towards them.

**A/N Sorry I couldn't get to Emily, but this chapter was getting long, I didn't think I wanted to go much farther. But, we'll start with her next time, don't worry. Her side-quest is going to be my favorite to write I think. Till next time! R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6 Healing the Land

**A/N The moment you have all been waiting for... (drumroll) Sorry I took so long here, guys. For some reason I couldn't be motivated to work on this story before. But now, after reading some comments on this story, I've become motivated again! So thanks you guys that asked for chapter six. Man, I didn't realize how many people liked this story! Now, I'll stop rambling and let you read!**

**Any characters that appear in the book are Rachel Roberts'! (Ok, now you can read)**

**Chapter 6**

**Healing The Land**

"Emily!"

The healer opened her eyes slowly to the concerned face of Ozzie.

"Huwaa...?"

Emily sat up, brushing her curly hair out of her face. She looked around to find a blanket of white snow wherever she looked. In a few places, there were lumps sticking out of the ground. A few scraggly brownish leaves were sticking out of them in places.

"Where are we?" Emily asked.

"I'm not sure," Ozzie answered, scratching his head. "It _looks _like the Frozen Tundra in Aldenmor. But, if it was, there'd be more of an oceany smell."

"Ocean-y?" Emily questioned. Ozzie shrugged.

"Best word I could think of," He said. They sat there for a minute in silence.

"Ozzie?" Emily said.

"Yeah?"

"Someone's in pain," the healer murmured. "A group of creatures, I think."

"Where?" The ferret asked. Standing, Emily pointed to the east. Her jewel was pulsing blood red.

"Come on, then!" Ozzie encouraged, climbing up to her shoulder. Emily shivered.

"Alright, best to keep moving," she agreed. The snow came up to her knees and was soaking her clothes where she stepped in it. Not to mention her whole backside was freezing from lying on the ground.

"Where do you think the others are?" Ozzie asked.

"Don't... know..." Emily responded, head throbbing from the pain of whatever was hurt. It was overwhelming, making her feel sick.

As they looked ahead, the snow beginning to become less deep, the land suddenly dropped off on the horizon. Emily picked up the pace, feeling the pain coming closer. She was in an awkward run by the time she reached the side. She looked down into a small valley where about two dozen creatures of various warm colors were shivering in the snow by a frozen pond. Standing out among them was the other mage.

"Rose!" Ozzie called. Emily walked off the cliff as the younger girl turned to look at them. She tried to find a foothold, but the ground was icy and she slipped and slid down on her back instead.

"Emily, are you okay?" Rose asked, rushing over to her. In the valley, the snow was only about ankle-deep, making it easier to move around.

"We've...got to help them," Emily said, standing. Rosalina looked up at her.

"How?" She asked, tears appearing in her eyes. "I tried, Emily, really. But... I'm just no good! I can't do anything right!"

Emily took the other girl's hand. She pulled her silently over to a group of fox-like animals with firey tails and leaned next to a group of three pups. Their colors ranged from reds to yellows and the fire on their tails was dimmed to a small flame.

"Follow me, Rose," Emily instructed. "Trust the magic." The younger mage watched closely as she picked up the first two pups, cradling them close to her chest. The heart-shaped jewel at her wrist began to glow more of a dark purple color. Rose's own blood red teardrop-shaped gem changed to the color of Emily's and began pulsing with hers. She picked up the last pup, a creamish-colored one.

Instantly, she knew what to do. The magic coming from the two healing gems pulsed cool blue, surrounding the small animals in the girls' arms. Their minds seemed together. Rose pushed her magic out with Emily, making a dome of protection around the rest of the animals, gaining in strength as their life forces joined with the magic.

They worked expertly, pinpointing the point of pain in every animal. Their pulses began to pick up as they were once again warmed, and the fire returned to the horses with firey manes and the foxes' tails, touching everything, but burning nothing.

The blue dome slowly faded away as the animals were helped. The clearing came alive with noise and all the cold around them seemed to melt away.

"Thank you, Emily," Rose said, smiling up at the older mage. Emily stood up and looked back down at her.

"All you needed was a little encouragement," she smiled back.

"Emily!" Ozzie hissed in her ear. The healer looked down at the ferret-elf on her shoulder.

"What is it, Ozzie?"

"I know where we are now!" Ozzie began. "But this isn't what it should look like! We're in the Fire Desert."

Emily looked around incredulously. It didn't look like a desert to her, with the very thin coating of snow around them. She looked down and rubbed some away with her foot. Underneath was a cold layer of fine orange sand.

"What happened here?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," Ozzie replied. "We haven't heard any news from Aldenmor for awhile. This could be why. All these animals- they're supposed to be somewhere warmer. They won't make it out here for long."

Emily looked back down at Rose, still cradling the cream fire fox in her lap.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Yeah," Rose replied. "We have to do something!" The shiny gem at the younger healer's wrist suddenly caught at Emily's attention. It was pulsing the same color as the small animal in her arms.

* * *

Lyra let out a fierce snarl as the creature leaped from the bushes, trampling Kara. It quickly passed her and ran at Ashton. The younger mage let out a cry as she was thrown to the ground under it.

"Kara!" Lyra growled, running over to her bonded. Kara sat up.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. "It didn't hurt me. We've got to help Ashton!"

They rushed over to the giant purple creature on top of Ashton. Kara readied the gem on her wrist.

"No, wait guys!" Ashton shouted. She began laughing. The giant purple creature glimmered before shrinking into a smaller purple creature with tiny wings on its back. It was a little bigger than Dreamer, and also looked wolf-like, except for the small red horns behind its ears. Ashton sat up, holding it on her lap. Its black tongue that looked almost too big for its mouth was lapping across her face.

"Hey little guy," She cooed, smiling. It gave her a lopsided grin in return, tongue hanging out.

"What _is _that?" Kara asked, lowering her gem.

"I'm not sure," Lyra responded. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's so cute!" Kara cried. "What should we call it?"

"_Him,_" Ashton corrected. "And his name is Night Shifter." Then she frowned. "He's been hurt by... Black Fire? What's that?"

Kara and Lyra gasped at the same time. Ashton looked up at them worriedly, knowing something was wrong right away.

"Yes, there," Lyra said, pointing out a glowing green spot on the back of the small purple creature's right front leg.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kara cried. "Back up a minute here! How do you know all this?"

"He told me," Ashton said, like it should be the most obvious thing in the world, which it should have been from her point of view. "I heard him in my mind. Through my gemstone, like Carter... nevermind, forget that last part."

"Then how come _I _didn't hear him?" Kara asked.

"I didn't either," Lyra added in.

Ashton felt their eyes boring into her. Just a few minutes earlier, Kara had accused her of being a dark mage. The fact that they didn't hear Night Shifter didn't exactly help their level of trust towards her.

"Wait," Lyra interjected. "What if... it's like Adriane and Stormbringer?" Kara stared incredulously at her bonded.

"You mean... like, they _bonded_?" she asked. "Wow, that was fast."

"It's possible," Lyra shrugged.

"We have to help him!" Ashton jumped in, not caring about their previous conversation. "If this Black Fire is as bad as you make it out to be-"

"It is," Kara and Lyra said at the same time.

"- then he may not have much time left!"

The new blazing star was horrified by the thought of the poor, innocent creature dying.

"Blazing stars are supposed to be able to do anything, right?" Ashton asked frantically. "Then we can save him?"

"Well, not _anything, _exactly," Kara said awkwardly. Lyra nudged her leg. "Alright, so the truth is that I've never had much control over my magic. But, maybe with you around... we can figure out some way to help him?"

Ashton nodded confidently. Her bright blue eyes blazed with the challenge of the task ahead.

"I know we can do this."

**A/N Sorry about the cliffhanger, but if I had tried to go on, this chapter would be sooo much longer than the rest, and you'd get sick of reading it. Naw, just kidding, I know you wouldn't... maybe...**


	7. Chapter 7: Healing again, apparently

**A/N It's been awhile, hasn't it? No kidding! *punches self in face* Ok, I'm good now. Thanks for all the support so far and I wouldn't blame you guys if you're angry at me! I just really haven't been motivated to write this for awhile and have kinda forgotten what I was doing. Oh well, I still remember the most important things. And the name might change, since I already have three characters that I need to give a little more personality (trust me I'm usually not so bad at it, but it started badly so now I have to recover) and might not be able to handle three more... I don't know, we'll see. I really want to put them in, I think they'll be neat, but I might just not have that much room. -.- Anyway...**

**Disclaimer: Who wrote Avalon again? ^^;**

**Chapter 7: Healing**

"Okay, so how are we going to do this...?" Emily thought aloud. Rose was silent on the ground. For a minute, while Emily thought, all that could be heard was the various noises the animals were making. Suddenly Rose stood up and faced Emily, putting the fire fox down at her feet.

"There's..." Rosalina began before stopping. She chewed on her lip for a moment, looking thoughtful and also slightly nervous.

"There's what?" Ozzie demanded. "If it's something that can help us, we really need to know!"

"No, nevermind, I'm not supposed to tell." Rose shook her head quickly.

"Come on, Rose," Emily coaxed. "It's okay. You can tell us."

The younger mage looked over all the animals in the clearing. They were okay, now, but they needed a hot climate. They would be in trouble if she couldn't help them. She sighed.

"There's a clan of Griffins somewhere around here," she began reluctantly. "I can get them to help us take the animals somewhere safe."

"How do you know that?" Ozzie demanded at the same time as Emily asked, "Can you get us there?" Rose ignored Ozzie's question.

"I think so," Rose answered. "I don't know- I could use Carter's help."

"Well, I don't think there's a way we can contact her without knowing where she is. Do you think you can still do it?" Emily asked.

"I...don't know."

"I wish we had the D-flies," Emily muttered.

_Pop! Pop! Pop!_

Carter sat behind Adriane while she talked with the other boy... Zach. She was feeling sick inside, beginning to remember things she didn't want to. Everything looked so cold here. Nothing was recognizable. However, as they flew further, she began to make out things she recognized, like forests and some empty, rocky lands.

She tried to appear her calmest as she sat on the dragon, though inside her stomach was churning with worry. There was dark magic all through the air, she could feel it everywhere they passed, and she needed a break from the pressure pounding her skull.

How were Adriane and Zach not noticing it. Though Carter thought the dragon seemed a little on edge, even though it wasn't to the extent that she was.

"We should be passing over any minute now," Zach said. "I know it was somewhere around here." Carter looked up to see him looking down, scanning the ground.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Adriane asked, him, also looking below them.

"There should be a stone arch somewhere along the trees here," Zach explained. "It's pretty visible from this altitude, so you shouldn't have to look too hard."

Carter joined them, looking down slowly to avoid the worst throbbing in her mind. Finding things was one of her skills, and they weren't _that _high. It would be a simple task.

About a minute later, longer than it would have taken if she could have concentrated better, Carter pointed downwards at a rock formation right near the outermost trees.

"Look, there," she managed, barley hearing herself talk.

"You found it!" Zach cried. "Drake, down boy!"

The red dragon let out a happy-sounding cry and started descending in a straight line, unlike his first landing. As they neared the arch, Carter felt her head starting to clear, the feel of the dark magic slowly slipping away.

When they were about fifteen feet away from the arch, it began glowing in all sorts of colors that merged together in a beautiful way impossible to describe.

"Oh, good, they did recognize us," Carter heard Zach mutter.

She braced herself as they started nearing it, positive they would die. As they sped faster, she closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the stone wall when they finally impacted.

But the splat never came.

"Ok, focus," Kara instructed. Ashton was ready for anything at the moment. She was scared for Night Shifter, but had confidence in Lyra and Kara to help guide her through.

"Alright, we can do this," she encouraged.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Kara agreed. "I'm sure blazing stars can heal animals too. It's a simple task for the healers."

They sat there for awhile in the light, fluffy snow, Ashton holding Night Shifter in her lap. Kara sat next to her, running her hand across the creature's back. Lyra was crouched in front of them.

"It's alright, Kara," she said. "I'm here."

Ashton focused on Night Shifter's heartbeat, feeling her gem pulsing at her wrist at the exact same pace.

"Just try to sync with me," she said, trying to help guide Kara through the first step. The two blazing stars locked eyes, focusing on one another and the small creature in Ashton's lap.

It didn't take long for them to be pulsing together, completely in tune. Then Lyra added her strength to the mix, and their power seemed to overlap around Night Shifter, creating a barrier with him, connecting to his feelings.

"I've heard Emily talk about this before," Kara said calmly, taking charge now. She was much different than she had been just a little while ago. Aston followed her loyally and silently.

"We have to focus on the point of injury," Kara explained. "Ashton, try to help me undo the wound. We're trying to dispel every trace of sickness from his system. We just need to trust each other."

Both girls felt the magic streaming out flowing free, yet they had it all perfectly under control. Suddenly, another force seemed to join them from far off, followed by two more.

Together, their magic flowed over Night Shifter, threading though his pain, flowing over every point of the wound and taking the dark magic away little by little.

As it faded away, so did the other magic and the two blonde-haired girls opened their eyes. There was a light blue ribbon of magic flowing from Ashton's jewel around the creature, and a thicker, darker one from Kara's. They were only there a few seconds before disappearing again.

Night Shifter looked up at Aston, wagging his tail and licking her face with his floppy tongue.

"We did it!" Kara cried in glee. "I mean, of course we did it, why couldn't we?" Yet the look of excitement on her face was undoubtedly present.

Lyra and Ashton laughed, and the second blazing star held the Night close.

"Thank you," she said quietly, burying her face into his fur.

"Yeah," Kara responded, smiling. "Thanks to you, too."

**A/N Yup, some interesting twists introduced here and... what's this? A hint of personality for Carter? Yeah, I got a lotta complaints that she was an Adriane copy (guess you know who's my favorite character, now...) and don't get me wrong, I agree with you. So now I'm changing it up a little to make her more interesting and the story itself, too... Well, hope you enjoy, don't forget to R&R! At one in the morning, the first update of what... this whole year? (And it's almost December now... x.x (epicfail(death)))**

**Oh, and sorry if the second part with the blazing stars healing Night sucks, I just did it (remember, it's one in the morning right now) and you can only heal something so many ways... -.-;**


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